Frank left Angela's anxious to talk to Joe but he knew Joe would still be at Mayhem's. Not wanting to waste time there, Frank headed for campus. He was positive Aliem was responsible for his own missing research but now he needed to find out if Anderson was involved as well.
Frank arrived at Anderson's office and rapped lightly on the door. "Enter," Professor Anderson said. Frank went inside and closed the door behind him.
"May I help you?" Anderson asked, looking up at Frank with a questioning look.
"My name is Frank Hardy," Frank introduced himself. "I am one of Professor Aliem's new interns."
"Yes, he has mentioned you," Anderson acknowledged. "What may I do for you?"
"Um, I understand you recommended Elie Whitlock for the project?" Frank began.
"That is correct," agreed Anderson, giving Frank his full attention.
Frank definitely did not like this professor. His scrutiny was making him feel uncomfortable and his manner was that of someone who was on the offensive. "I was wondering if you could tell me why you chose her," Frank fibbed. He had to start the conversation somewhere. If this man wanted to fence, he was more than willing. Frank was more than Anderson's match.
"She's an excellent student who has remarkable skill with a camera," Anderson said. "But I don't understand why that should matter to an intern."
"I'm not an intern," Frank said, well aware his words were having no effect on the man. "I'm a private investigator. My brother and I are attempting to discover who took Professor Aliem's research."
"Craig, I believe, is the most likely suspect. Or perhaps Angela," Anderson suggested.
"Craig has disappeared," Frank pointed out.
"Precisely why it is obvious he is the thief," Anderson stated.
"I wouldn't say it was so obvious," Frank disagreed. "Convenient, perhaps."
"Excuse me?" Anderson said, looking at Frank in disbelief. "Why would you say that?"
"It is possible that Craig saw the thief and was taken out of the picture," Frank stated. "Once he was gone, it would be easy enough to frame him."
"Possible," Anderson concurred. "Why do you think Craig is innocent?"
"In my experience, a theft of this sort seldom results in the immediate disappearance of the culprit. It is much more common for the thief to maintain a semblance of normalcy," Frank explained.
"So you believe the thief is still on campus?" Anderson inquired. Frank nodded his head.
"Well that narrows it down to fifteen thousand," he said smugly.
"Or eleven," Frank said, thinking of the nine students as well as Aliem and Anderson.
"Well, this has been most interesting," Anderson said, rising. "But you will have to excuse me. I must prepare for my next class." He ushered Frank out of his office and shut the door.
Frank wanted to listen at the keyhole but there were too many students milling about in the hallway so he headed to the science building. He found Clarence and Todd just going into Aliem's lab.
"The professor isn't here yet?" Frank asked, looking at his watch. Twelve on the nose.
"Everyone is entitled to be late once in awhile," Clarence responded with a shrug, pulling his key from the lab door. The three boys went inside and began work. It was almost an hour later before Aliem arrived.
"Sorry I'm late," he apologized. "I had car trouble."
Todd noticed Frank glancing at his watch and then at the door on several different occasions and worked his way over to him. "Joe's disappeared, hasn't he?" he asked, his tone worried.
Frank narrowed his eyes on Todd. "What makes you say that?" he asked, his voice soft but his tone threatening.
"Easy man," Todd said, backing up a bit. "I told Joe he should be careful."
"Why?" Frank asked. "What do you know about what's going on?"
"Not as much as I would like too," Todd admitted. "But I know Joe and Craig have something in common and that's why he disappeared."
"What do they have in common?" Frank asked, tilting his head and looking at Todd questioningly. The guy seemed to know what he was talking about but he couldn't understand what Todd meant.
Todd shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure," he replied. "But I noticed it the first time I saw Joe. He had the same look in his eyes that Craig did right before he disappeared."
"Joe mentioned you were a friend of Craig's and was working for Aliem in order to find out what happened to Craig," Frank said. "But he never said anything about having something in common with him."
"Have you noticed a change in Joe?" Todd asked.
"Just that he seems to be obsessed with the esteemed Dr. Mayhem," Frank said with a sigh.
"That's all?" Todd pushed.
Frank thought about the past couple of days. Joe seemed a bit scared and well, almost paranoid but he wasn't going to tell Todd that! "That's it," Frank said.
"Maybe I was wrong," Todd said. "I hope so. I like your brother."
"Thanks," Frank said. "I think I'm going to cut out of here and see if I can find him," he continued. "He really should have been here by now."
Frank told Aliem and Clarence he had to leave because of a dental appointment then headed straight for Mayhem's house. Joe wasn't there but neither was his backpack so whatever happened to prevent Joe from being in the lab happened after he had left for campus.
Frank pulled out his cell phone and put a call in to his father. He told his dad that Joe was missing but didn't mention the conversation he had with Todd, thinking it really had nothing to do with the case.
"This isn't good," Fenton said in response to Frank's report. "I have some news too. Craig's car was found. It had been impounded for being parked in a lot he wasn't registered for."
"So Craig was kidnapped or...." Frank couldn't bear to say it. What if Joe had met the same end? Joe and Craig have something in common. Todd's words flashed through his mind.
"Or murdered," Fenton ended for Frank, unaware of his son's thoughts.
"I'm going to head back to campus," Frank said. "Aliem was late getting to the lab this afternoon. Maybe he grabbed Joe."
"Good idea," Fenton approved. "If he did take your brother then he might lead us to where he is holding him."
Frank hung up and headed back to campus. He was just about to enter the science building when he saw Elie exit, a frown on her face. "Hello," Frank said. "Is something wrong?"
"Hmm?" she asked, looking up at him, her expression worried.
"Is there something wrong?" he asked. "You look like you just lost your best friend."
"Well, a new one, anyway," she replied, giving him a brief smile. "I was expecting to find someone in one of the labs this afternoon, but he hasn't shown up.
"You're Elie Whitlock, right?" Frank said, knowing he was right because Joe had described her perfectly.
She nodded. "How do you..." she began but Frank cut her off with an introduction.
"I'm Frank Henderson. Joe's brother."
"Frank Hardy," she corrected him. "Joe told me about the case when I gave him a lift earlier."
"You saw him?" Frank jumped on her words. "When? Where did you take him?"
"He wanted to follow Professor Aliem," she said. "I dropped him off at Bailey's Grill downtown. He said he could find his own way back to campus. But he wasn't in the lab."
"He never showed up," Frank said.
"How can I help?" Elie asked.
"You just did," Frank said. "I thought Aliem was behind Joe's absence. Now I'm sure of it."
Frank arrived at Anderson's office and rapped lightly on the door. "Enter," Professor Anderson said. Frank went inside and closed the door behind him.
"May I help you?" Anderson asked, looking up at Frank with a questioning look.
"My name is Frank Hardy," Frank introduced himself. "I am one of Professor Aliem's new interns."
"Yes, he has mentioned you," Anderson acknowledged. "What may I do for you?"
"Um, I understand you recommended Elie Whitlock for the project?" Frank began.
"That is correct," agreed Anderson, giving Frank his full attention.
Frank definitely did not like this professor. His scrutiny was making him feel uncomfortable and his manner was that of someone who was on the offensive. "I was wondering if you could tell me why you chose her," Frank fibbed. He had to start the conversation somewhere. If this man wanted to fence, he was more than willing. Frank was more than Anderson's match.
"She's an excellent student who has remarkable skill with a camera," Anderson said. "But I don't understand why that should matter to an intern."
"I'm not an intern," Frank said, well aware his words were having no effect on the man. "I'm a private investigator. My brother and I are attempting to discover who took Professor Aliem's research."
"Craig, I believe, is the most likely suspect. Or perhaps Angela," Anderson suggested.
"Craig has disappeared," Frank pointed out.
"Precisely why it is obvious he is the thief," Anderson stated.
"I wouldn't say it was so obvious," Frank disagreed. "Convenient, perhaps."
"Excuse me?" Anderson said, looking at Frank in disbelief. "Why would you say that?"
"It is possible that Craig saw the thief and was taken out of the picture," Frank stated. "Once he was gone, it would be easy enough to frame him."
"Possible," Anderson concurred. "Why do you think Craig is innocent?"
"In my experience, a theft of this sort seldom results in the immediate disappearance of the culprit. It is much more common for the thief to maintain a semblance of normalcy," Frank explained.
"So you believe the thief is still on campus?" Anderson inquired. Frank nodded his head.
"Well that narrows it down to fifteen thousand," he said smugly.
"Or eleven," Frank said, thinking of the nine students as well as Aliem and Anderson.
"Well, this has been most interesting," Anderson said, rising. "But you will have to excuse me. I must prepare for my next class." He ushered Frank out of his office and shut the door.
Frank wanted to listen at the keyhole but there were too many students milling about in the hallway so he headed to the science building. He found Clarence and Todd just going into Aliem's lab.
"The professor isn't here yet?" Frank asked, looking at his watch. Twelve on the nose.
"Everyone is entitled to be late once in awhile," Clarence responded with a shrug, pulling his key from the lab door. The three boys went inside and began work. It was almost an hour later before Aliem arrived.
"Sorry I'm late," he apologized. "I had car trouble."
Todd noticed Frank glancing at his watch and then at the door on several different occasions and worked his way over to him. "Joe's disappeared, hasn't he?" he asked, his tone worried.
Frank narrowed his eyes on Todd. "What makes you say that?" he asked, his voice soft but his tone threatening.
"Easy man," Todd said, backing up a bit. "I told Joe he should be careful."
"Why?" Frank asked. "What do you know about what's going on?"
"Not as much as I would like too," Todd admitted. "But I know Joe and Craig have something in common and that's why he disappeared."
"What do they have in common?" Frank asked, tilting his head and looking at Todd questioningly. The guy seemed to know what he was talking about but he couldn't understand what Todd meant.
Todd shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure," he replied. "But I noticed it the first time I saw Joe. He had the same look in his eyes that Craig did right before he disappeared."
"Joe mentioned you were a friend of Craig's and was working for Aliem in order to find out what happened to Craig," Frank said. "But he never said anything about having something in common with him."
"Have you noticed a change in Joe?" Todd asked.
"Just that he seems to be obsessed with the esteemed Dr. Mayhem," Frank said with a sigh.
"That's all?" Todd pushed.
Frank thought about the past couple of days. Joe seemed a bit scared and well, almost paranoid but he wasn't going to tell Todd that! "That's it," Frank said.
"Maybe I was wrong," Todd said. "I hope so. I like your brother."
"Thanks," Frank said. "I think I'm going to cut out of here and see if I can find him," he continued. "He really should have been here by now."
Frank told Aliem and Clarence he had to leave because of a dental appointment then headed straight for Mayhem's house. Joe wasn't there but neither was his backpack so whatever happened to prevent Joe from being in the lab happened after he had left for campus.
Frank pulled out his cell phone and put a call in to his father. He told his dad that Joe was missing but didn't mention the conversation he had with Todd, thinking it really had nothing to do with the case.
"This isn't good," Fenton said in response to Frank's report. "I have some news too. Craig's car was found. It had been impounded for being parked in a lot he wasn't registered for."
"So Craig was kidnapped or...." Frank couldn't bear to say it. What if Joe had met the same end? Joe and Craig have something in common. Todd's words flashed through his mind.
"Or murdered," Fenton ended for Frank, unaware of his son's thoughts.
"I'm going to head back to campus," Frank said. "Aliem was late getting to the lab this afternoon. Maybe he grabbed Joe."
"Good idea," Fenton approved. "If he did take your brother then he might lead us to where he is holding him."
Frank hung up and headed back to campus. He was just about to enter the science building when he saw Elie exit, a frown on her face. "Hello," Frank said. "Is something wrong?"
"Hmm?" she asked, looking up at him, her expression worried.
"Is there something wrong?" he asked. "You look like you just lost your best friend."
"Well, a new one, anyway," she replied, giving him a brief smile. "I was expecting to find someone in one of the labs this afternoon, but he hasn't shown up.
"You're Elie Whitlock, right?" Frank said, knowing he was right because Joe had described her perfectly.
She nodded. "How do you..." she began but Frank cut her off with an introduction.
"I'm Frank Henderson. Joe's brother."
"Frank Hardy," she corrected him. "Joe told me about the case when I gave him a lift earlier."
"You saw him?" Frank jumped on her words. "When? Where did you take him?"
"He wanted to follow Professor Aliem," she said. "I dropped him off at Bailey's Grill downtown. He said he could find his own way back to campus. But he wasn't in the lab."
"He never showed up," Frank said.
"How can I help?" Elie asked.
"You just did," Frank said. "I thought Aliem was behind Joe's absence. Now I'm sure of it."
